Product Description

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Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Darbury, England, 1814: Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friend's baby. She'll risk everything to keep her word-even to the point of proposing to the child's father-a sea captain she's never met.

Publisher's Description

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Darbury, England, 1814

Amelia Barrett gave her word. Keeping it could cost her everything.

Amelia Barrett, heiress to an estate nestled in the English moors, defies family expectations and promises to raise her dying friends baby. Shell risk everything to keep her wordeven to the point of proposing to the childs fathera sea captain shes never met.

When the child vanishes with little more than an ominous ransom note hinting at her whereabouts, Amelia and Graham are driven to test the boundaries of their love for this little one.

Amelias detailed plans would normally see her through any trial, but now, desperate and shaken, shes forced to examine her soul and face her one weakness: pride.

Grahams strength and self-control have served him well and earned him much respect, but chasing perfection has kept him a prisoner of his own discipline. And away from the family he has sworn to love and protect.

Both must learn to have faith and relinquish control so they can embrace the future ahead of them.

"My kind of book! [It] grabbed my attention from the first lines and I eagerly returned to its pages." Julie Klassen, Best-Selling, Award-Winning Author

"If you are a fan of Jane Austen and Jane Eyre, you will love Sarah E. Ladd's debut." USAToday.com

Author Bio

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Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood. She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing family and spunky Golden Retriever. Facebook: SarahLaddAuthor Twitter: @SarahLaddAuthor

Editorial Reviews

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This adventure is fashioned to encourage love, trust, and faith especially in the Lord and to pray continually, especially in times of strife.
If you are a fan of Jane Austen and Jane Eyre, you will love Sarah E. Ladds debut.
Ladds charming Regency debut is enhanced with rich detail and well-defined characters. It should be enjoyed by fans of Gilbert Morris.
This debut novel hits all the right notes with a skillful and delicate touch, breathing fresh new life into standard romance tropes.

This is a wonderfully winsome story about two head-strong characters whose lives intersect because they both loved the same woman and her motherless child. Heiress Amelia Barrett has cared for 9 month old Lucy since her friend Katherine's untimely death. Widowed naval Captain Graham Sterling returns to meet his daughter, and finds he may be getting a package deal.

This romance is interwoven with details of deceit and greed from several quarters. But the faithfulness of good friends like the Hammonds and Sulters help these confused and sometimes self-centered young neighbors find their way. I also like the redemptive side stories of their strained relationships with brother William and cousin Helena. I would have liked to know more about Mrs. Dunne. A bit of violence toward the end will keep your pulse racing even more than the chaste kisses and looks between Graham and Amelia. Another good regency romance from the pen of Sarah Ladd; part of a series, but may be read as a stand-alone novel.

I loved Sarah's debut novel! The Heiress of Winterwood was such an unexpected good read because I felt it wasn't your typical Regency romance novel! There was much depth that brought the story to life in an unforgettable way since it wasn't just about two people falling in love!

From the very beginning I was hooked to the story and it only kept getting better! The intricacies of what was happening in the family had me thoroughly engaged as well as the interactions with the residents of two brothers at Eastmore Hall! Amelia's passion was so strongly felt through the pages as well as Graham's!

The characters and story were awesome, but the Gospel message was truly powerful! More times then once I have been in that same similar state with God as Amelia in struggling to trust Him with certain things in my life! I am grateful that Sarah made such a heroine who was not only believable in this aspect, but also easily relatable! Everything surrounding this novel had trust in God at the center of it as well as the truth that He will never leave us or forsake us!

I am eagerly looking forward to more novels by this author because she writes a not so typical romance mixed in with drama, action, and surprisingly mystery! I highly recommend this novel to any Regency era lovers!

Graham Sterling has spent what seems like a lifetime at sea. He is in Her Majesty's Navy and has been forced to put to port his battle-damaged ship for repairs. While on leave he returns home to find his older brother pretty much a drunkard and the family estate in major debt. His wife has died 10 months previous and he meets his 9-month-old baby daughter, Lucy, for the first time. She has been in the care of his wife's best friend, Amelia Barrett. Initially, all Graham wants to do is find someone to care for his daughter, get his ship repaired and return to the sea. Everything begins to change when he meets his daughter and Amelia.

Both main characters struggle with believing God has their best interests in mind when difficult circumstances in life come to the fore. They don't doubt the existence of God, but whether He cares for their day-to-day struggles as they both believe God has let them down in the past. There isn't a lot of action in this story and the plot moves along slowly. I would have liked more background information on these main characters to see what made them tick. I think this would have added depth to the characters and that would have helped me connect with them.